Specialist Mental Health Dietitian: Sponsorship Available

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Job Summary

Are you Dietitian who has a passion for providing excellence in the nutritional and dietetic care and who would like to specialise in mental health Dietetics? If yes, we would love to hear from you!

In this role all service users have a mental health diagnosis. And Nutrition and Dietetic Services provide dietary treatment to support the prevention and management of physical health conditions and to promote recovery of mental wellness. Prior working within mental health dietetics is desirable.

The post has a base at the Maudsley Hospital. However, the work is across all SLaM sites covering the boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon with another Dietetic office situated at the Bethlem Royal Hospital.

 

Main duties of the job

The post includes in-person inpatient working on psychiatric intensive care units, acute, rehab and special care units. And outpatient clinic work with dietetic assessments and reviews offered both virtually and in-person. This role provides dietetic care to young people, adults and older adult service users. There is opportunity to work on forensic and National and Specialist units within the trust.

Referrals are mostly for under-nutrition, underweight and re-feeding syndrome, including tube feeding and over-nutrition and metabolic syndrome linked to mental ill health and psychiatric medications, especially antipsychotics. We provide dietetic support for disordered eating linked to emotional dysregulation and restrictive intake self-harm. Referrals for food allergies / food intolerances, gut issues and specific food likes and dislikes resulting in fewer foods eaten with risk of nutritional deficiencies are common.

The post requires the ability to work safely, effectively, and cordially with individuals and groups. To be flexible, to manage own caseload as well as to provide cover for colleagues in their absence and/or to cover vacancies along with the wider team. Professionalism and excellent communication skills, including use of motivational interviewing techniques to help support behavioural change are key.

As a team we work together to support KCL Dietetic students on placements.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • HCPC Registered Dietitian
  • Relevant Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Strong evidence of continuing professional development
  • Membership of British Dietetic Association (BDA) or other body conferring professional indemnity insurance

Desirable

  • Membership of relevant professional special interest groups i.e BDA Specialist Mental Health Group

Experience

Essential

  • Experience in clinical dietetic practice specifically in nutrition support, including refeeding syndrome, use of oral nutritional supplements and enteral tube feeding
  • Experience in clinical dietetic practice specifically in weight management and metabolic syndrome

Desirable

  • Experience of working on a psychiatric ward or mental health setting

Knowledge

Essential

  • Excellent overall knowledge of clinical nutrition and dietetic care.
  • Knowledge of the cultural diversity of the client population, in particular food choices, cooking and eating practices

Skills / Abilities

Essential

  • Excellent written communication skills
  • Skills in evaluating stage of change, motivation, barriers and supporting behavioural change
  • Ability to work effectively with individuals and groups
  • Able to use word processing and other IT applications
  • Able to demonstrate knowledge and adherence to appropriate professional standards

Desirable

  • Experience working in research

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Closing Date: 08 March 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.